The carpet absorbed all sounds as the two women left the elevator,
the upper floor's walls lined with paintings. The place was remarkably well
decorated, and Rebecca's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings.

'Is this just for the party tonight,' Rebecca wondered, 'or is it
always like this?'

"Follow me," Cynthia smiled coolly. They walked on together, Rebecca
feeling just a bit relieved that the blonde wasn't trying to make more
small talk. "Here we are," she grasped the handle of a pair of double
doors, opening up to reveal a crowded party.

"Thanks," Rebecca muttered. With a single glance she had taken in the
fine gowns worn by the women, the expensive suits of the men, and felt
instantly out of place dressed in the dry-cleaned year old suit that she
wore.

Then a happy voice rang out with, "Becca!" The slim redhead made her
way through the crowd, her own gown clearly outclassing everyone else's in
the room. The beauty nearly threw her arms around Rebecca once she reached
her side, only barely restraining herself.

Rebecca couldn't help smiling back at the sound of her old nickname.
"Jamie," she laughed softly, "it's good to see you." She offered her hand a
bit awkwardly, not quite sure how to handle herself in this situation.

Jamie Winter pushed her red hair back and smiled up fondly, "None of
that, Becca." She leaned in close to the startled Rebecca, pressing her
lips to her cheek even as their bodies fit snugly together. Softly into her
ear Jamie added, "I've missed you."

"Good," Jamie moved back a bit, but then she slipped her arm into
Rebecca's. She looked up at her and softly said, "I have a little problem.
You see, I seem to have come tonight without a date. Would you mind
escorting me?"

Rebecca gulped. 'She knows I'm a out lesbian, what is she thinking?'
Keeping her voice as steady as possible she answered, "I think I can manage
that."

"Then let me show you around," Jamie tugged gently, and they were
off.

The rest of the night was remarkably nice, really. With Jamie
standing beside her all the rich and powerful treated Rebecca with a great
deal of respect, though she did wonder what they might be saying behind her
back later on. Meeting with the other authors and artists was even better,
their honest respect and courtesy coming through quite clearly. The food
and drink was plentiful, and the company was remarkably pleasant.

Throughout the evening Jamie stayed right by Rebecca's side. They
spoke together, casually, but there was an odd undercurrent to it. Jamie
seemed to give her searching glances, even as she was eager to catch up
with Rebecca's life.

Finally, Jamie had to pull away. "It's time for the speech making,"
she smiled wryly, "try not to fall asleep while I'm talking, OK?"

"You can't!" Jamie blurted out. She took a deep breath, "Sorry, you
surprised me." She smiled tentatively, "I was hoping to talk to you some
more after the party."

Rebecca hesitated, but she couldn't resist the open appeal in those
green eyes. She never could. "All right," she said, "I'll stay."

"Thanks," Jamie smiled. She moved towards the podium that had been
set up near the front of the room, only to be waylaid by Cynthia. They
spoke softly, occasionally looking towards Rebecca, then they separated.

'What was that all about?' Rebecca wondered.

Jamie took her place up front, smiling over at the crowd. She softly
thanked everyone for coming, explaining the importance of the magazine's
debut. She then softly thanked all the writers and artists who had
contributed, and it might have been Rebecca's imagination but she thought
Jamie's gaze rested a little longer on her.

It wasn't long after that the guests began to leave, Jamie softly
saying her good-byes. The staff began to clean up the mess of the party,
and Jamie walked over to where Rebecca stood. "Thank god that's over," she
sighed, suddenly looking bone tired.

"It's been a while since college," Jamie sighed softly. She looked up
at Rebecca, "Care to join me for a nightcap?"

"Well, sure," Rebecca blinked in surprise while trying to support
Jamie with as much subtlety as she could manage.

They made their way out into the hallways, moving away from the
offices to an unmarked door. Jamie produced a key, unlocking it before they
went inside. "Welcome to my home away from home," Jamie sat down on a couch
with a happy sigh.

The place was set up as a combination of bedroom and sitting room, a
bed over on one side, a couch and comfortable chair on the other. "I guess
this is here in case you have to pull an all nighter," Rebecca looked
around in awe.

"Pretty much," Jamie agreed. She smiled tiredly, "Grab a seat, and
I'll get you a drink in a few minutes."

"You don't need to do that," Rebecca debated for a moment, then she
sat down beside Jamie on the couch.

Jamie had her eyes closed, "Well, I thought that some Dutch courage
might help me." She laid her head on the back of the couch, looking over at
Rebecca with the oddest look on her face. "I have to ask you something, but
I'm not sure if I want to know the answer."

Rebecca met her eyes, "Is it that important a question?"

"Yes, it is," Jamie finally answered her softly. She took a deep
breath, "Is 'School Girl Confessions' about you and I, Rebecca?"

'I should have known that she'd spot it,' was what was running
through Rebecca's head as she scrambled for an answer. She wanted to deny
it, but meeting those eyes she knew she couldn't as her lips formed the
words, "Yes, it is."

"I'm glad," Jamie said softly.

"I know I shouldn't have used us to base a story on," Rebecca
continued talking, "but I was badly blocked, and somehow it..," She slowed
to a stop, finally registering what Jamie had just said. "What?" she asked
her quietly.

"I'm glad," Jamie repeated as she sat up, rubbing at her eyes
tiredly. She gave Rebecca a small smile, "All the time that I was going to
all those parties and dating those guys, I was thinking about someone
else." A weak chuckle, "Imagine my reaction when I read your story and
realized you were doing the same."

Rebecca looked over at Jamie, and had to admit to herself that the
woman was more beautiful now than she had been in college. She also had to
admit she was terrified to make a move. "So what do we do now?" she
squeaked nervously.

Jamie reached out, gently laying her hand over Rebecca's. "I know
it's been a long time," she said, "and a lot of water under the bridge."

"But?" Rebecca said as Jamie fell silent.

"I was an ass in college," Jamie smiled wryly, "but I think I've
grown out of it." She seemed to brace herself, "When my editor suggested we
include you in the first issue, I agreed not only because you're such a
good author. I wanted to see you."

"And then you read my story," Rebecca found herself smiling.

"Yes," Jamie smiled back. "I even had Cynthia grill you a bit,
because I was too scared to do it myself. Do you think we could... I
mean..." she gave up on words, gently drawing Rebecca's hand to her lips,
kissing it gently.

"We'll try," Rebecca said softly. She leaned across the couch, giving
Jamie a chance to move away, then kissed her on the lips.

"Wow."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Rebecca smiled.

The End.

Author's Notes: This actually started out as the idea for a manga story. I
was going to have various images based on what Rebecca was writing appear
just behind her, even have them argue with her about what she was
writing... Instead, the her and Jamie story came to me, and off we went.
The second sequence is a homage to all of those Aliens fanfics featuring
Ellen Ripley and various female marines. The third is a tip of the hat to
all those lovely Janeway/Seven fics for Star Trek Voyager.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.